Can a bed bug dog give a false positive?

Yes, bed bug dogs can give false positives. Dogs used for bed bug detection are accurate about 90% of the time. The dog’s accuracy depends on the skill and experience of the handler and how well trained the dog is.

The way detection dogs are ideally used is to point out places that should be more thoroughly inspected. When a dog comes across an area and has a hit, that area should be further examined for bed bugs.